Yesterday I went to the gym at the club. Noone else was there when I arrived so I had the entire gym to myself.
I switched on the aircond above the entrance door at 16C but the room was still warm. So I switched on the other aircond in the middle of the room. Now I could exercise in bliss...
Later on a guy came in. He proceeded to switch off the aircond nearer to me, the one in the middle of the room. I gave him my fiercest glare but it only pierced through his back because he wasn't looking in my direction. Since I almost finished exercising anyway, I decided to let it go. No point in getting my blood pressure hiked up right?
But then Mr Freezing approached the aircond above the entrance door and switched off that one too. Like, hello? Can't you see the lovely lady is almost swimming in her own sweat?
So I said to Mr Freezing, "Can you switch on the aircond, please?"
He mumbled, "Oh, yeah", like someone had just awaken him from his slumber and switched the aircond above the entrance door back on. I noticed the aircond fan was rotating very very slowlyyyy, so I knew he had fumbled with the temperature control.
I exercised for 2 more minutes or so and decided to call it a day.
Then I walked to the scale to weigh myself. It was placed near the aircond in the middle of the room. I switched on that aircond, glanced at Mr Freezing, and smiled to myself.
After weighing myself, I walked over to the bench near the aircond above the entrance door. I grabbed the aircond remote control and saw that Mr Freeze had changed the temperature to 30C. No wonder it felt like I was in a sauna room instead of a gym. So I changed it back to 16C, and then coolly walked out of the gym. This time I didn't look at Mr Freezing, but I had a wide grin on my face.
Muahahaha.
Monday, 28 February 2011
Thursday, 24 February 2011
Singapore Getaway
We just came back from Singapore yesterday evening. It was a last minute trip for DD and me. DH had known for sometime that he would be attending a course there, and he had pestered me to go along, but I was reluctant to make DD miss school.
Anyway, I made the last minute decision on Friday, barely 2 days before the trip. DD was excited. Flight tickets were expensive, so DD and I travelled by coach to Singapore and by flight on the way back.
We boarded Nice Executive Coach just after 3pm on Sunday. The coach was comfortable. We were given sandwiches, mineral water and hot drinks. But this is Malaysia, and if you expect to get what you pay for, you'll end up feeling disappointed. The stewardess (yes, there's a stewardess) apologetically told us that she couldn't give us blankets and pillows because the coach that we boarded was a bus sementara (temporary bus). For the same reason, we couldn't watch shows on the individual TV screen perched on the seats in front of us.
The first leg of the journey was smooth. The coach moved at a comfortable speed. We were overtaken by other coaches right, left and centre. We stopped at Pagoh at 5.30pm for a 20 minutes break.
The second leg of the journey became more arduous. Traffic moved at turtle's speed (or so it seemed) near Kulai for some unknown reasons.
Clearing immigration on Malaysian side of the border was a breeze. We hopped off the coach, got our passports scanned and hopped on again, all in less than 15 minutes. As we approached Singapore side, I began to understand why other coach drivers were driving at neck-breaking speed. There were so many buses queuing up to approach immigration. Our coach joined the queue and we waited in the coach for about half an hour. Finally we were told to gather all our belongings and enter the immigration check point. There were more queues inside. We got our passports stamped and our belongings scanned. Overall, it took almost 1 hour to clear Singapore immigration. We reached the bus terminal at 9.30 pm, 6 and a half hours after starting our journey. I felt so lucky that DD behaved throughout the entire journey.
Things took a turn for the better afterwards. The next day, I took DD to Sentosa Island, while DH was cooped up in the Conference. We had so much fun at Sentosa. We went there before, in 2006, but DD can't remember any of it now. I have to say though that I've had enough of Seaworld or Underwaterworld or whatever it is called. No more of sea creatures in the future.
Universal Studios is located on Sentosa Island too but we didn't go there. I contemplated taking DD on the following day, but DH was not too happy about letting us having all the fun while he was stuck attending the conference. So I took DD to Science Centre instead. And we had another day of fun.
The hotel that we stayed in was a bit far from MRT stations so we had to take buses and taxis between the hotel and the nearest MRT station. One thing I learnt about Singapore during this trip is how hard it is to flag a taxi if you're not at a Taxi Stand. DD was reduced to tears because she could not take the rejections from taxi drivers refusing to stop for us.
DD and I took Firefly for our return journey. I must say that the budget terminal in Changi is way better than our LCCT. It doesn't have the 'warehouse' feel, the airconditioner works wonderfully, it's not crowded and the departure gates are located close to the departure hall. DD and I had a ball in the Duty Free Shop, trying out all the perfumes. There are crayons and stone templates for kids to trace on.
My diet went out of the window in Singapore. We had McDonalds twice, not because I like it, but because it's convenient. Halal status was of paramount consideration, so during those few days, I stopped worrying about calories. We had the most yummylicous Sundanese food and Turkish fare as well, not to mention roti pratha and toasted bread with kaya for breakfast at the mamak stall.
I didn't get to do any shopping. As DD said it eloquently, kalau nak shopping, boleh shopping di KL. The most important thing is that DD had a good time, and that we certainly had.
Now is payback time for the both of us. DD has to catch up on school work and I have to restart my healthy lifestyle. Ouchh!
Anyway, I made the last minute decision on Friday, barely 2 days before the trip. DD was excited. Flight tickets were expensive, so DD and I travelled by coach to Singapore and by flight on the way back.
We boarded Nice Executive Coach just after 3pm on Sunday. The coach was comfortable. We were given sandwiches, mineral water and hot drinks. But this is Malaysia, and if you expect to get what you pay for, you'll end up feeling disappointed. The stewardess (yes, there's a stewardess) apologetically told us that she couldn't give us blankets and pillows because the coach that we boarded was a bus sementara (temporary bus). For the same reason, we couldn't watch shows on the individual TV screen perched on the seats in front of us.
The first leg of the journey was smooth. The coach moved at a comfortable speed. We were overtaken by other coaches right, left and centre. We stopped at Pagoh at 5.30pm for a 20 minutes break.
The second leg of the journey became more arduous. Traffic moved at turtle's speed (or so it seemed) near Kulai for some unknown reasons.
Clearing immigration on Malaysian side of the border was a breeze. We hopped off the coach, got our passports scanned and hopped on again, all in less than 15 minutes. As we approached Singapore side, I began to understand why other coach drivers were driving at neck-breaking speed. There were so many buses queuing up to approach immigration. Our coach joined the queue and we waited in the coach for about half an hour. Finally we were told to gather all our belongings and enter the immigration check point. There were more queues inside. We got our passports stamped and our belongings scanned. Overall, it took almost 1 hour to clear Singapore immigration. We reached the bus terminal at 9.30 pm, 6 and a half hours after starting our journey. I felt so lucky that DD behaved throughout the entire journey.
Things took a turn for the better afterwards. The next day, I took DD to Sentosa Island, while DH was cooped up in the Conference. We had so much fun at Sentosa. We went there before, in 2006, but DD can't remember any of it now. I have to say though that I've had enough of Seaworld or Underwaterworld or whatever it is called. No more of sea creatures in the future.
Universal Studios is located on Sentosa Island too but we didn't go there. I contemplated taking DD on the following day, but DH was not too happy about letting us having all the fun while he was stuck attending the conference. So I took DD to Science Centre instead. And we had another day of fun.
The hotel that we stayed in was a bit far from MRT stations so we had to take buses and taxis between the hotel and the nearest MRT station. One thing I learnt about Singapore during this trip is how hard it is to flag a taxi if you're not at a Taxi Stand. DD was reduced to tears because she could not take the rejections from taxi drivers refusing to stop for us.
DD and I took Firefly for our return journey. I must say that the budget terminal in Changi is way better than our LCCT. It doesn't have the 'warehouse' feel, the airconditioner works wonderfully, it's not crowded and the departure gates are located close to the departure hall. DD and I had a ball in the Duty Free Shop, trying out all the perfumes. There are crayons and stone templates for kids to trace on.
My diet went out of the window in Singapore. We had McDonalds twice, not because I like it, but because it's convenient. Halal status was of paramount consideration, so during those few days, I stopped worrying about calories. We had the most yummylicous Sundanese food and Turkish fare as well, not to mention roti pratha and toasted bread with kaya for breakfast at the mamak stall.
I didn't get to do any shopping. As DD said it eloquently, kalau nak shopping, boleh shopping di KL. The most important thing is that DD had a good time, and that we certainly had.
Now is payback time for the both of us. DD has to catch up on school work and I have to restart my healthy lifestyle. Ouchh!
Wednesday, 16 February 2011
Sebuah Kisah Percintaan
(terjemahan khusus buat IWA)
Kau membuatku tidak lena sepanjang malam
Aku berpusing berkali-kali di pembaringan, di sebelah suamiku
Kau berikan aku pemikiran yang jelas
Kau ingatkan aku akan hal-hal yang telah kusembunyikan di sudut mindaku
Kau berikan aku talian hayat kedua
Bila kurasakan tenagaku telah habis dikerah oleh cabaran kehidupan seharian
Kau membuatku berasa hidup
Aromamu menggamitku
Aku selama-lamanya tertarik ke arahmu
Kau hilangkan dahagaku
Kau buat jantungku berdegup kencang
Kau isi helaan nafasku dengan aromamu
Kau tinggalkan warnamu di dalam senyumanku
Kau membuatku nanar selepas semalaman tidak lena
Oh.. bagaimanakah aku akan berpisah denganmu, Kopi Kesayanganku
p/s: should I write the interpretation next? :p
Kau membuatku tidak lena sepanjang malam
Aku berpusing berkali-kali di pembaringan, di sebelah suamiku
Kau berikan aku pemikiran yang jelas
Kau ingatkan aku akan hal-hal yang telah kusembunyikan di sudut mindaku
Kau berikan aku talian hayat kedua
Bila kurasakan tenagaku telah habis dikerah oleh cabaran kehidupan seharian
Kau membuatku berasa hidup
Aromamu menggamitku
Aku selama-lamanya tertarik ke arahmu
Kau hilangkan dahagaku
Kau buat jantungku berdegup kencang
Kau isi helaan nafasku dengan aromamu
Kau tinggalkan warnamu di dalam senyumanku
Kau membuatku nanar selepas semalaman tidak lena
Oh.. bagaimanakah aku akan berpisah denganmu, Kopi Kesayanganku
p/s: should I write the interpretation next? :p
Tuesday, 15 February 2011
A Love Affair
You keep me awake all night long
I toss and turn, again and again, by my husband's side
You give me clarity of thought
You bring forth issues chucked in the far corner of my mind
You give me a second lifeline
When I feel that my entire energy has been sapped by daily life challenges
You make me feel alive
Your scent is inviting
I'm forever drawn to you
You quench my thirst
You keep my heart racing
You fill my breath with your lingering scent
You leave you hue in my smile
You make me dizzy after a fitfull, sleepless night
Oh.. how do I part with thee, My Beloved Coffee
I toss and turn, again and again, by my husband's side
You give me clarity of thought
You bring forth issues chucked in the far corner of my mind
You give me a second lifeline
When I feel that my entire energy has been sapped by daily life challenges
You make me feel alive
Your scent is inviting
I'm forever drawn to you
You quench my thirst
You keep my heart racing
You fill my breath with your lingering scent
You leave you hue in my smile
You make me dizzy after a fitfull, sleepless night
Oh.. how do I part with thee, My Beloved Coffee
Wednesday, 9 February 2011
The Culprit
I've acquired a new habit. That is, checking calorie content on food packagings. For someone who never bothered about calories, fats, and the likes, it's a mind opener to discover that there's actually useful information on our standard food packagings.
The shocker happened at the grocery shop yesterday. While perusing rows upon rows of my favourite beverage (coffee, if you haven't already known), I found my usual 3-in-1 purchase and took a close look at the calorie information. My eyes almost jumped out of their sockets when I saw that a sachet of the said 3-in-1 contains about 350 kcals! My oh my, that's about a quarter of my daily calorie requirement!
In a way, I'm happy that the 3-in-1 boasts such a huge calorie count. I have now singled out one of main reasons for my bulging thighs. The right thing to do is to eliminate the offending item out of my shopping list right away. Since I'm not ready to forgo coffee altogether, I'm opting for alternatives that do not take up such a huge portion of my daily calorie need. I noticed that Indocafe has only 10kcals per serving. Even after adding 1 tsp each of sugar and creamer, I'm pretty sure the total calorie won't reach anywhere near 350 kcal.
As the saying goes, knowledge is power. Now I know that for sure.
The shocker happened at the grocery shop yesterday. While perusing rows upon rows of my favourite beverage (coffee, if you haven't already known), I found my usual 3-in-1 purchase and took a close look at the calorie information. My eyes almost jumped out of their sockets when I saw that a sachet of the said 3-in-1 contains about 350 kcals! My oh my, that's about a quarter of my daily calorie requirement!
In a way, I'm happy that the 3-in-1 boasts such a huge calorie count. I have now singled out one of main reasons for my bulging thighs. The right thing to do is to eliminate the offending item out of my shopping list right away. Since I'm not ready to forgo coffee altogether, I'm opting for alternatives that do not take up such a huge portion of my daily calorie need. I noticed that Indocafe has only 10kcals per serving. Even after adding 1 tsp each of sugar and creamer, I'm pretty sure the total calorie won't reach anywhere near 350 kcal.
As the saying goes, knowledge is power. Now I know that for sure.
Monday, 31 January 2011
The National Museum
Last Saturday, DH decided to go to his office to get some work done. I didn't want to stay idle at home, so I decided to take DD to the National Museum. Actually the idea of visiting the Museum had been brewing for a long time, but museums are not exactly DH's cup of tea and I didn't know how to get there by myself. Anyway, since the Museum is quite near to DH's office, he dropped DD and I there first before going to his office.
Prior to this visit, the only time that I'd been to the Museum was in 1984, when I was still an impressionable 12 year-old. My memory of the Museum is mainly of long, dark corridors with mannequins wearing traditional costumes. It seemed like a large place then.
Anyway, back to the present. I thought the entrance fee was ridiculously cheap: RM2 for me and free for DD. Upon entering the Museum, the first view welcoming us was the Hall, where there was an exhibition on AFF Suzuki Cup 2010. In case anyone missed the big news, Malaysia won the Cup. There in the Hall, you can have a view of the Championship Cup and another Cup won by one the Malaysian players (I think he won for scoring the most goals). There were photos of the players and officials, and there was even a telecast of the final match! So if anyone wants to relive the glory of Malaysian football, you may pay a visit to the Museum.
The Museum has 4 galleries, 2 each on the ground floor and on the first floor. The galleries are: the Neolithic Age, The Colonial Age, Malaysia Today and the Malay Kingdom.
We saw lots of bones and tembikar in the Neolithic Age gallery, mainly excavated from sites such as Lembah Bujang, Gua Cha (Kelantan), Perak, and the Borneo. I felt quite proud to discover that Gua Cha is the most important excavation site because a lot of bones were discovered there (haha).
The Colonial Age brought us through the usual fare: Portuguese occupation, Dutch colony, English rule and finally, Japanese occupation. An electronic display of the trading routes showed ships and camels plying the sea and land trails. I almost shuddered when I saw the uniforms worn by the Japanese soldiers and the bicycles that they used to travel along the peninsula. There's a section on the country's main products then: tin, rubber, coconuts and paddy.
Malaysia Today was the least interesting for me. I mean, even the name of the gallery can induce a yawn or two for the average Malaysian. There were sections on communism, early Malay writers, early newspapers, the country's prime ministers, and finally our very own Angkasawan program. But the one section that touched my heart was called 'Pahlawan Negara'. I shed a few drops of tears when I looked at photos of Tok Kenali, Mat Kilau and others. There were lumps in my throat, making it difficult for me to explain the significance of these individuals to DD.
The final gallery that we visited, the Malay Kingdom was the most interesting for us. There you'll see the Perak throne, old coins (we were so proud to see Kelantan gold coins), the head gears of all the sultanates in Malaysia, and really old maps of the old kingdoms. We laughed when we saw that the Kelantan Sultan's head gear is called 'Dastar Budu'. It certainly beats the more melancholic name of Perlis' 'Tanjak Dendam Tak Sudah'. We also saw old wedding gears, keris, jewelleries and tepak sirih and such.
What surprised me the most about the Museum was it's small size. It even seems smaller than the Selangor State Museum. I would have thought that the National Museum should have a bigger collection, befitting its 'National' status. It saddens me to note that our country's history is reduced to such a small collection. We completed our tour of the Museum in just one and a half ours. And we really took our time going through the entire place.
Within the same compound, there's another museum called Muzium Ethnologi Melayu, but we didn't visit it. There was also an on-going exhibition dedicated to Pahang Heritage in another building. Free guided tours of the National Museums are held at 10am on certain days of the week.
Overall, we had a good time there and DD wants to go again. She's such a good girl, paying attention to items that many other kids would find boring. Since it doesn't take long to tour the Museum, we're hoping that we can drag DH along next time. In the mean time, the next place we plan to visit is the Islamic Art Museum.
Prior to this visit, the only time that I'd been to the Museum was in 1984, when I was still an impressionable 12 year-old. My memory of the Museum is mainly of long, dark corridors with mannequins wearing traditional costumes. It seemed like a large place then.
Anyway, back to the present. I thought the entrance fee was ridiculously cheap: RM2 for me and free for DD. Upon entering the Museum, the first view welcoming us was the Hall, where there was an exhibition on AFF Suzuki Cup 2010. In case anyone missed the big news, Malaysia won the Cup. There in the Hall, you can have a view of the Championship Cup and another Cup won by one the Malaysian players (I think he won for scoring the most goals). There were photos of the players and officials, and there was even a telecast of the final match! So if anyone wants to relive the glory of Malaysian football, you may pay a visit to the Museum.
The Museum has 4 galleries, 2 each on the ground floor and on the first floor. The galleries are: the Neolithic Age, The Colonial Age, Malaysia Today and the Malay Kingdom.
We saw lots of bones and tembikar in the Neolithic Age gallery, mainly excavated from sites such as Lembah Bujang, Gua Cha (Kelantan), Perak, and the Borneo. I felt quite proud to discover that Gua Cha is the most important excavation site because a lot of bones were discovered there (haha).
The Colonial Age brought us through the usual fare: Portuguese occupation, Dutch colony, English rule and finally, Japanese occupation. An electronic display of the trading routes showed ships and camels plying the sea and land trails. I almost shuddered when I saw the uniforms worn by the Japanese soldiers and the bicycles that they used to travel along the peninsula. There's a section on the country's main products then: tin, rubber, coconuts and paddy.
Malaysia Today was the least interesting for me. I mean, even the name of the gallery can induce a yawn or two for the average Malaysian. There were sections on communism, early Malay writers, early newspapers, the country's prime ministers, and finally our very own Angkasawan program. But the one section that touched my heart was called 'Pahlawan Negara'. I shed a few drops of tears when I looked at photos of Tok Kenali, Mat Kilau and others. There were lumps in my throat, making it difficult for me to explain the significance of these individuals to DD.
The final gallery that we visited, the Malay Kingdom was the most interesting for us. There you'll see the Perak throne, old coins (we were so proud to see Kelantan gold coins), the head gears of all the sultanates in Malaysia, and really old maps of the old kingdoms. We laughed when we saw that the Kelantan Sultan's head gear is called 'Dastar Budu'. It certainly beats the more melancholic name of Perlis' 'Tanjak Dendam Tak Sudah'. We also saw old wedding gears, keris, jewelleries and tepak sirih and such.
What surprised me the most about the Museum was it's small size. It even seems smaller than the Selangor State Museum. I would have thought that the National Museum should have a bigger collection, befitting its 'National' status. It saddens me to note that our country's history is reduced to such a small collection. We completed our tour of the Museum in just one and a half ours. And we really took our time going through the entire place.
Within the same compound, there's another museum called Muzium Ethnologi Melayu, but we didn't visit it. There was also an on-going exhibition dedicated to Pahang Heritage in another building. Free guided tours of the National Museums are held at 10am on certain days of the week.
Overall, we had a good time there and DD wants to go again. She's such a good girl, paying attention to items that many other kids would find boring. Since it doesn't take long to tour the Museum, we're hoping that we can drag DH along next time. In the mean time, the next place we plan to visit is the Islamic Art Museum.
Thursday, 27 January 2011
Temptation #1
My MIL invited us for dinner last night. Yesterday she and her lady friends had a mengaji session at one of the ladies' house. Such sessions usually end with my MIL bringing home lots of leftover home cooked Kelantanese food. Yesterday was no exception.
Before going there, I made a resolution to refrain myself from over eating. And refrain I did. I had a bowl of laksa Kelantan, loaded with generous amounts of ulam and 4 pieces of keropok. For desserts, I had a piece of kueh kaswi and a piece of talam ubi. MIL offered coffee but I declined. DD munched 3 kueh kaswi, 2 talam ubi and a kueh lapis. She has a sweet tooth, just like me.
Later on MIL and I packed the leftover for us to bring home. So now sitting invitingly in my fridge are left over laksa, kueh kaswi, kueh lapis, talam and 'kekah kekah cha' (for the life of me, I can't recall a more 'decent' name for this kueh). Oh dear, it's going to be hard to keep my hands away from the fridge.
Before going there, I made a resolution to refrain myself from over eating. And refrain I did. I had a bowl of laksa Kelantan, loaded with generous amounts of ulam and 4 pieces of keropok. For desserts, I had a piece of kueh kaswi and a piece of talam ubi. MIL offered coffee but I declined. DD munched 3 kueh kaswi, 2 talam ubi and a kueh lapis. She has a sweet tooth, just like me.
Later on MIL and I packed the leftover for us to bring home. So now sitting invitingly in my fridge are left over laksa, kueh kaswi, kueh lapis, talam and 'kekah kekah cha' (for the life of me, I can't recall a more 'decent' name for this kueh). Oh dear, it's going to be hard to keep my hands away from the fridge.
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